Presidency of Son Ryo-Gan
As the 1st President of the UCR, Son Ryo-Gan has made very important policies and decisions which shaped the nation as a whole. 2028 and 2029 Independence and the War for Independence On December 25, 2028, Son Ryo-Gan was voted to be President of the United Chinese Republic by the New Kuomintang in a secret plebiscite conducted in Taipei. This plebiscite also chose the capital, flag, and name of the new country, as well as write the constitution. The nation declared independence officially on Worldsday, or December 31, with the flag being raised over the building of the former Legislative Yuan (which was reused with the new government). As President, he was also Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, and while he did not directly order troops - he mostly delegated this to Field Marshal Shen Liuxian - he aided in strategising the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Xiaochengzhen. He was the first person to propose a peace treaty after the Sakhalinsk Empire's surrender, which, while delayed for many weeks, ceased practically all hostilities with the Sakhalinsk Empire, with them even considering having formal embassies. 2029 Special Elections ]] On 28 February 2029, President Son Ryo-Gan announced that with the reunification of China and the acquisition of more provinces, there would be a special election on 2 April 2029. This would include the positions of Premier (head of the Executive Yuan), Speaker (head of the Legislative Yuan), the members of the Legislative Yuan from each province, and the Governors of the provinces themselves. On 25 March, to allow some more time for the numerous candidates to draw their political platforms and to campaign, President Son delayed the elections for 15 April. Despite his political party, the New Kuomintang, having existed longer than the country itself, it was only officially founded on 25 March 2029. Nevertheless, numerous people announced their membership of the party upon declaring their candidacy, such as Superior General Shen Liuxian for Premier (note that he said he was "forced" to run by President Son, yet he continues to do so) and Huo Wuhan for Speaker. After the elections, he announced the beginning of Legislative Yuan meetings to be on 1 May. 2029 Meningococcal Disease Outbreak Overlapping with much of the campaign period was the 2029 Meningococcal Disease Outbreak, which started on 25 March with the diagnosis of Princess Catherine Ivanov, the heir to the throne of East Sakhalin. Shortly afterwards, cases of meningococcal disease sprouted all over Taiwan, with one case in Hong Kong. With the death toll reaching 10, on 28 March, President Son Ryo-Gan officially declared the epidemic and began a vaccine program in major southern Chinese cities such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Fuzhou. He stated that the program would spread to eastern China and eventually western China, though he later remarked that it would take some time to cooperate with pharmaceutical companies. Two days later, on 30 March, he declared the nationalisation of all pharmaceutical companies after the elections for this purpose. South Caleblanian Civil War and 2029 Anti-UEE protests on 12 May 2029 - the next day, the South Caleblanian Civil War began.]] Because of having strong relations with East Sakhalin, the UCR was against South Caleblan in the Philippine dispute; however, starting on 10 May 2029, then-Speaker of the House Michael Lone contacted President Son Ryo-Gan over aid in a possible revolution. An agreement was made on the 12th, in which President Son made a speech saying "We, as a country, are devoted to spreading democracy" and that he would support a revolution by democratic forces in South Caleblan. The next day, that would become a reality, as the South Caleblanian Civil War began with heavy UCR support. However, President Son expected a swift coup rather than a bloody and long-drawn-out revolution, and after the especially destructive Battle of Iloilo on the 20th, he said "What was supposed to be a peaceful restoration of democracy has become total war." 2029 financial crisis Western independence movements On 4 July 2029, the Legislative Yuan / House of Representatives passed Union Act No. 18, or the Minority Cultures Act, which gave more autonomy to certain cultures within the nation. Two of which were the Tibetans and the Turks, who formed their own respective independence movements shortly after the law was passed; by 30 July, the movements were large enough to begin organizing independence referendums. President Son Ryo-Gan said in a speech that "We must act as one nation and not let our differences get in the way of progress", and planned having diplomatic talks with the leaders in order to resolve the issue. However, on 5 August, the Minority Cultures Act was repealed and replaced by Union Act No. 24 or the Minorities Act, which led to Akmetzhan Narimanev (the President of the East Turkestan Independence Movement) resigning, while Nyandak Nyima (the Governor of Tibet and the President of the Tibetan Independence Movement) threatening to fight against the law to the best of her ability. The latter led to heavy outrage from the New Kuomintang and it supporters, and after being advised by his cabinet, President Son hosted an online poll in regards on what to do with Nyima. The majority voted to oust her, which led to the passing of Executive Order No. 1, which deposed Nyima.